Canada did not become 'official' until its confederation in 1867. Before then a wide variety of privately minted coins supported commerce. Most were copper pennies and half pennies. This one is known as the 'Bust and Harp' token. It is a fascinating collectible.

Be sure to read our Important Terminology page for converting these catalog values to actual buy and sell values.

Assembling a collection of nice-looking early Canadian tokens would be a worthwhile numismatic (coin collecting) challenge. Be careful, though, as this is a specialized area of numismatics. A good deal of research is necessary to collect the 'good' tokens and not be fooled by counterfeits. There are detailed catalogs and other documentation on the subject. Do not invest large sums of money until you are sure you know what you are doing. You can get more information on these tokens at the CoinsandCanada web site.